Arch support



oct. 21 1925.4. 1,512,715

W. N. SECHLER' ARCH SUPPORT 'Filed June 22. 1923 llas Patented @et 2l,1924i.

. g ,sian- WILLIAM NYE SECHLER, OF FORT SCOTT, KANSAS.

ARCH SUPPORT.

Application 'led ,Tune 22, 1923. Serial No. 647,022.

Be it known that I, 1l/*ILLIAM NYE SECHLER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at the city of Fort Scott, in the county 5 of Bourbon,in the State of Kansas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Arch Supports, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention pertains to flexible arch supports for the shanks ofshoes, and amongv its especial merits over prior devices of this natureare its greater flexibility and lack of interference with the freedom ofthe foot movements, the feature of unilateral rigidity for the supportof the arch at the same time being preserved.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specication, in whichlike numbers of reference denote like parts wherever they occur,

'Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a shoe, taken on the line1:*1 of Figure 2, and showing the attached arch support as it appearswhen viewed from the top;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same, taken onthe line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional View, taken on the line 3 3of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a plan view of an alternate form of arch supportembodyingvthis in vention;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same, taken onthe line 35 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view, taken on the line 6 6of Figure 4.

Referring to the preferred form of this invention, as shown in Figures1, 2, and 3, a shoe 1, having uppers 2, insole 3, outsole 4, and heel 5,contains within its shank 67 between the insole 3 and the outsole 4. thesupport 7 consisting of intermediate links 8, a heel link 9, and a forelink 10, the said links 8, 9, and 10 being curved to conform to theshape of the arch. Heel link 9 and fore link 10 have holes 11, whichregister with holes 12 in the outsole 4. Rivets 13 pass through theholes 11 and 12 and secure links 9 and 10 to the inner side of outsole4, the heads 14 of the rivets preferably being against the outsole,while the flattened ends 15 abut against the links 9 and 10.

Links 8, 9, and 10, of plates 16, preferably of sheet metal, having foreedges 17, terminated by perpendicular side edges 18, which are joined tothe converging edges 19 terminated at their opposite ends by the rearedge 20, thus forminga tapered tongue 2l at the rear of each of theplate links8, 9, and 10. Ribs 22 rise perpendicularly from the plate'links 8 and 9 at their fore edges 17, and slots 23 separate theintermediate part of each of the ribs 22 from its plate 16, only the endportions 24 of the ribs 22 being joined to the plates 16.

The tapered tongue 21 of fore link 10 fits intothe slot 23 of theadjoining intermediate link 8, the tongue 21 ofthe said link 8 fittinginto the slot 23 of the next link 8, and so on, according to the numberof intermediate links 8 used in the particular support, the tongue ofthe last intermediate link 8 fitting into the slot 23 of the heel link9.

l/Jhen the wearer of the shoe is in a standing posture, the shoe is inthe position shown in full lines in Figure 2, and thev bottom sides 25of they inserted tongues 21 do notyabut squarely against the topsurfaces 26 of the plates 16, but are slightly inclined thereto, theweight of the body bearing chiefly on the heel 5 and only slightly onthe arch and the ball of the foot. If now, as in walking, one foot belifted from the floor, and the body thrown forward, with its entireweight on the other foot, the heel 5 of the other foot is raised, asshown in dotted lines in Figure 2, and the normal tendency is tostraighten out the concavity of the shank of the shoe and of the archsupport, but this tendency is checked after a slight yield, by theopposing action due to the bottom sides 25 of the tongues 21 having beenbrought squarely against the top surfaces 26 of the plates 16. In thisposition, the weight of the entire body bears on the arch and the ballof the foot. The arch of the foot is, however, firmly supported whenthe'heel is raised, as well as more yieldingly when the heel is on thelicor, because of the slot-and-tongue connection forming a: hinge, whichpermits free movement to increase the concavity of the arch, but limitsthe eX- tent to which the concavity of the arch may be reduced. Thetapered edges 19 permit lateral angular movement of the links 8, 9, and10 with reference to one another, this movement occurring when thesupport is in the position shown in full lines in Figure 2, as well aswhen the support is taut,

c sults in greater at opposite ends, in which lit the tongues 30 ot theheel link 3l and tore link 3Q, having holes 33 for the receptionV o1rivets with whichthey may be secured tothe outsole ot the shoe. Link 28is strengthened by ribs Vand has a central depressed portion 35 on whichrest the tongues 30 passing through 'the slots 36.

rillie Vtore links l0 andV 32 of both :terms respectively are preferablyconcave on their top sides, so that they will lit the sole at the ballofthe foot. Y c

lt has been determined by experience that the use of one intermediatelink or more between the heel link and the fore link retlexibility andgreatly facilitates the accommodation of the support to the movements ofthe toot. Y Having thus described this invention, l hereby reserve thebenefit oli all changes in form, arrangement, order, or use otparts, asit is evident that many minor changes may be made therein Withoutdeparting 'from the'spirit oli-this invention. or the sco-pe ot thefollowing claims.

l. claim: Y l. ln an arch support the combination i cfa plurality oflinks, the said links being joined lto permit free movementin one d1-rectionand to restrict the Vextent of movei ment in the oppositedirection, the joint between the `links providing a wedging action inone direction ot movement thereof.

2. ln an arch support the combination of a pair of plates, a recess andthe other 'of said plates having a tongue tapered in its width and(zo-operating with the said recess for limiting movement of the tonguein the recess. Y

3. ln an arch support the combination of a pair of links, one ot saidlinks having a tongue, and the other of said links being formed of aplate having ra` rib, and-a slot at the junction o1a said plate withsaid rib, the said slot cooperating with the said tongue. v

fl. The combination of a shoe 4and an arch support, the said archsupport having a tore link, a heel link, and an intermedia-te link, thesaid tore and heel links being riveted to the outsole ot' the shoe and asliding vconnection between the links including a slotted `rib carriedby two of the links and a tongue carried by the other link andintennediate link. v

5. 'ln an arch support, the combination ol a plurality olooselyconnected links,`the outer end links being anchored within a shoe, 'theconnection between the links-im `and y freely extending into the slot,the

tongue being 'ot tapering formation tolimit movement thereof into therib slot.

ln testimony whereof l hereunto' atlix my si, ,'nature.l Y i l/TJLLIAMNYE SECl-ILER.

one of said plates having f'

